Tina Tskhadadze – Ratiani. The exhibition of the illustrations. Georgian-Japanese manga

The Vazha-Pshavela’s poem “Stumar-Maspindzeli” translated by Yasuhiro Kojima in Japanese was published with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth of Georgia. Tina Tskhadadze-Ratiani designed the bilingual book in the style of Japanese manga. These are mixed-media graphic works on paper. These works will be exhibited at the Dimitri Shevardnadze National Gallery from the 23th of December 2022 until the 15th of January 2023. Correspondingly, the book presentation will take place on the opening day of the exhibition.

The manga style in its current form emerged following the end of WWII, influenced by Western traditions. Manga, on the other hand, has deep roots in traditional Japanese art. It is regarded as both a type of visual art and a literary phenomenon. It was quite challenging to meticulously illustrate Vazha Pshavela’s work in manga style. It’s more of a synthesis of the traditional and manga book illustration styles.

As a mangaka (manga artist), Tina Tskhadadze-Ratiani creates a sort of free interpretation of the manga style. All of Vazha Pshavela’s main characters are equally interesting and have complex inner natures. The artist attempted to depict a specific character in her drawings from Vazha Pshavela’s viewpoint. She also tried to create an atmosphere that reflected the style and character of the period through the overall artistic integrity of the drawings and their detailing. The artist fully focuses his abilities on emphasizing the most important content nuances of this, at first glance, laconic but multi-layered work. Visually, this is more apparent in the cohesiveness of the paintings’ stylistic elements, the invisible connection between their parts, and the overall plasticity of the compositions. At the same time, these images are somewhat cognitive, as the book is also intended for Japanese readers.

They convey the life of that time: unique architecture, interior design, everyday objects, clothing, military equipment, etc. Tina Tskhadadze Ratiani’s combination of contemporary and traditional styles, as well as the addition of something new to the traditional, reflects the essence of the artist’s creative quest.

Tina Tskhadadze-Ratiani is an artist of the ‘90s generation. She has been actively participating in both local and international exhibitions since that time. She frequently reflects the rebellious feminist spirit in her images of powerful women and abstract stories about women from the Georgian Dark